Meanwhile Nicholson had bought a red X-reg Peugeot car off Gumtree for £250 to use to transport the body.

Humble, who emptied Mr Hedley’s Post Office account on November 4, used the £550 to buy the car and other items needed for the plan.

They went to Keenleyside DIY, on Station Road, Bedlington, armed with a shopping list including petrol cans, a shovel, heavy duty gloves, upholstery cleaner, a torch and batteries.

In the early hours of the next morning, having loaded Mr Hedley’s body into the back seat of the Peugeot, Humble set off towards Newcastle.

Having stopped at a BP garage on Ponteland Road to fill two fuel cans with petrol and diesel, Humble and Nicholson went to the Tyne Riverside Country Park, at Newburn.

Around an hour later, at 4.10am, they poured the fuel on Mr Hedley’s body at the edge of one of the car parks and set it on fire.

Jurors were told Humble drove to nearby The Boathouse pub and parked the car before heading back to the body.

They then returned to the pub car park before again heading back to where the body was as they tried to conceal it with brambles and bushes.

Humble, who had damaged the car in a collision with a parked vehicle on the way there, abandoned it at the scene and got a bus and Metro to Kingston Park.

Mr Hedley’s body was discovered by a dog walker on November 7 when her pet became fixated on an object in the bushes and began nibbling it and trying to drag it out.

Humble, who had been spotted in the area again, became aware police had found the body and rang Nicholson saying she was going to hand herself in, the court heard.

But she then rang police and claimed Nicholson had murdered Mr Hedley and that she was hiding in a bush outside Homebase, in Kingston Park and asked them to pick her up.

A post mortem found Mr Hedley had 12 injuries to his face, 12 to his back including three stab wounds consistent with being inflicted with broken crockery, a broken arm, a broken rib, a fractured cheekbone, bruising and swelling and “penetrating trauma” to his eye, “possibly from gouging”.

Prosecutors said a wheelie bin had been brought inside the flat at some point and “blood-stained items, possibly Mr Hedley himself, had been in the bin”, which had footmarks on it.

By the time of her arrest, Humble had made efforts to clean up evidence at the flat and neighbours had spotted her sweeping up on the day the body was found.

But blood was found in the flat, including on a mangled tray and table top possibly used in the attack.

Humble, who had denied murder but admitted perverting the course of justice, was told she faces at least 20 years behind bars.

Robert Woodcock QC, defending, said there was no intention to kill and said Humble had been unable to cope.

Nicholson, 39, of Lydord Court, Kingston Park, Newcastle, previously admitted perverting the course of justice and will be sentenced later.